The Strengthening of the Soul
by blackwood-lilly
Summary: The senshi find themselves waking up in the Seireitei after blacking out with no explanation. The transition between the 20th century and Crystal Tokyo has finally arrived,how will they face it? and furthermore, how will they make it out of Soul Society?
1. Intro

Strengthening of the Soul

Introductory author's notes:

Ok, well I've had this idea in the back of my mind for some time now, and I have finally decided to give it a shot.

Here's a little explanation on what this story will be like in order to avoid as much confusion on your part as possible. I want you to be interested, not in a permanent state of "wtf?!".

This is a crossover between Sailor Moon and Bleach. I know, I know it IS a rather…_strange_ combination to say the least, but I really do believe it has the potential to be a very entertaining storyline.

Just so we are clear, if you are going to read this you will have to be familiar with the manga story lines! Because if you are not familiarized with the Japanese terms (and when it comes to SM also the names) and of course, the manga you will end up all mixed up.

In my opinion, the Bleach anime is a pretty fair portrait of the manga -except for the things that only happen in the anime-. Now, I have not watched every single episode but I have read the manga and so far that's been my impression. However... SM is a different story. In this case I have both watched the anime and read the manga, and I must say I very much prefer the way the main characters are portrayed in the manga.

So the bottom line is that most of the things said and referred to in the story will be from their respective manga, though I might use some references from the anime in case the manga doesn't provide the elements I need.

Moving on... the story takes place just after the end of SM (manga), right after the wedding (that's why I will not describe much of what happens before or during the wedding, it will serve only as a reference) and before Crystal Tokyo is born. I have always wondered how is it that the senshi will be able to protect the whole planet from the so called "ice age" that would cover the Earth for centuries... everything in the story seemed to indicate that the senshi too would fall into some sort of hibernation during the ice age and one day, suddenly the _Maboroshi no_ Ginzuishou would awaken everyone and create the city with it's power.

I figured: if their bodies are asleep and their power has always come from their souls, then where would their souls gain enough power to overcome an ice age and save the planet? (I guess in my mind the power they have at the end of the series wouldn't be enough to do so)

And the answer was: the Seireitei!

As far as the Bleach time line goes, I'm positive it will take place somewhere in the future (after the battle with Aizen) but I'm not sure how far into it (because the outcome of the current arc is not clear just yet in the manga and I'd like to incorporate some of those elements into my story). So please bare with me, I will figure it out as the story evolves.


	2. Chapter 1 Uncertainty

Chapter 1

--Uncertainty--

They were all celebrating, dancing, drinking and eating happily at the reception. It was the day everyone had been looking forward to for so long -how could they not have?

They had been together for what seemed like forever now, and had fought greater obstacles than anyone else in the entire planet, if not in the entire galaxy in order to remain together.

Five years had elapsed since they had fought their last enemy, and after that life had pretty much returned to normal; no more saving the world or the solar system or the universe. No more sleepless nights worrying whether or not the world (or even themselves) would survive the next battle.

Life after defeating Chaos was pure bliss. Years flew by them, they finished high school and never even felt it go by, they had been in college for two years now except for Mamoru, who had just started his residency at one of Tokyo's most prestigious Medical Centers.

They had planned it for a little over a year, he wanted her to have the wedding of her dreams, though for her it would only be her dream wedding if she married _him_. The wait had been worthwhile, the wedding had been perfect. Everything from their attire to the church, the flowers and the arrangements for the reception had been absolutely flawless.

The party was held at an in-door salon from a gorgeous hotel in downtown Tokyo that was beautifully decorated for the occasion.

Usagi had changed from her wedding gown into a wonderful fringe dress that was entirely white with the exception of a subtle pink tinge at the ends of the fringes. Her heart was overflowing with happiness, not only because the formal union she had been waiting for her entire life (twice, since they never got a chance to marry in their previous lives) was finally occurring but also because all of the people she cared about the most were with them in this unforgettable day. Her parents: Ikuko and Kenji, her little brother Shingo, Motoki, all the senshi, Luna and Artemis were present, and even Chibi-usa and Diana had been given special permission from the future to come back and witness her wedding to Mamoru (if only to the ceremony, after which they had to return home to prevent any ruptures in time -for that same reason they were only to watch and not to appear in any of the photographs-).

Makoto had provided the food and drinks for this very special occasion, and of course had even baked the gorgeous -and delicious- three story cake herself. Minako and Rei had helped arranged pretty much everything else (they helped out with the invitations, decorations and scheduling); Ami had taken care of logistics and budgeting, which was amazingly helpful since everyone knew how easy it was for Usagi to get carried away and go above and beyond whatever amount she was planning to spend. And of course, the only major thing left was taken care of by Haruka and Michiru, who made sure to provide a delightful variety of violin and piano pieces that excelled at creating the most amazing atmosphere in the room.

The wedding was a complete success. Even five hours into the reception, everyone was still present, enjoying themselves and dancing the night away -literally-. Everything had been served, including the cake and it was just a matter of time before the newlyweds were off for their honeymoon, though they had decided to wait until most of the guests left the party before heading off to Thailand for a very much deserved break from everything -just the two of them.

Everything changed in the blink of an eye...

There were no signs that could have helped them prevent any of the upcoming events, no hints of any kind that could have made them realize that _**that**_ something they knew about -but never expected would come to pass so soon- was approaching faster than imaginably possible...the _something_ that would forever alter their paths.

No one was able to really grasp what was going on, not one of them understood the situation. All they saw, all they would ever remember was a blindingly bright yellow glow that appeared from nowhere and hastily spread all over the city (and though neither of them realized at the time, all over the world). Confusion displayed in their faces as they looked into each other's eyes while helplessly falling to the ground feeling as if they had been sedated with the most powerful of tranquilizers.

Silence enveloped the world in an instant.

…

"...Whe -where...?" -Ami was the first to speak, rising from the ground as she did -they were lying on the ground, as if they had fainted. They were all coming out of the effect of whatever had fallen upon them earlier -"I-what? What is this?"- her voice weak and sluggish as she attempted (quite unsuccessfully) to verbalize he confusion in a coherent way. A few minutes passed before everyone was up and fully functional.

Now on their feet and exploring cautiously their surroundings they occasionally gazed at each other just to confirm they were all seeing the same reality or illusion or whatever it was. They rubbed their eyes constantly and carefully examined themselves looking for injuries.

Ami had already reached for her computer and had begun to introduce as much data as she could to try and figure out just what was that place.

"Someone is approaching!" -Haruka whispered loud enough to let the rest of the team hear her but low enough to prevent whoever was around to hear her, her facial expression displayed shock and confusion yet her voice was calm as usual. There was no time to think things trough, they had not even realized they were still wearing the same clothes from before, they hadn't thought of where they came from, of the reception or the guests, or why it was suddenly day time.

_'Dammit! What in the world is going on?'_ Sweat was beginning to form in Ami's forehead as her device frantically scanned what seemed to be some sort of public space...in a city? _'It can't be... how can it be a city if the molecular structure is completely different from regular materials and yet it is not consistent with an illusion either... Where the hell are we?'_

"Ami-chan!?" -Muttered Usagi, implicitly asking her to share whatever information she might have been able to gather.

Ami's computer was on the edge of literally short circuiting, going insane with all the irregularities of the current environment. What it was displaying was impossible, it had to be... or was it?

…

They could feel the unfamiliar presences gaining on them from multiple directions. There was no point in running... so everyone assumed a defensive pose and remained quiet. Within minutes they were surrounded -and outnumbered- by a group of people who wore black _hakama_, and carried what seemed to be katana -they all had one, which couldn't have been worse for them given the fact that they were completely unarmed-.

After so many intrusions to the Seireitei, the Shinigami had learned not to underestimate intruders, particularly when there were so many of them.

Instinctively, the girls assumed combat positions the moment they made eye contact with the enemy and awaited the moment to call upon their senshi powers and transform into their battle ready selves.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" - It was the voice of a female, a slender woman with black hair that was pinned at the back of her head with the exception of a thick strand that framed the right side of her face. Deep blue eyes staring directly at them through her small glasses.

The rest of these uniformed and strange people (that were predominantly female) were standing just a little behind this one woman, looking somewhat confused with their presence, as if it were unbelievably unexpected for an outsider to infiltrate their territory.

"Please, wait. We do not know how or why we are here... if we could just discuss this I'm sure we could sort out this misunderstanding." -Usagi's words masked her fear to perfection. She hadn't expected them to do so, since she was confused and scared beyond her ability to even recognize such emotions. She sounded serene and rather diplomatic, though it didn't have the effect she was hoping for.

Actually, they were all masking their emotions magnificently, looking remarkably put together -even Ami had managed to shield her previously evident emotions whilst continuing her search for answers.

"You don't know? What do you take me for? A fool? How is it that you got this far into the Seireitei and not know about it? And even more impressively, how can twelve of you be here and not know why?-I'm sorry but I'm afraid that wasn't a good enough answer" - Her voice was so cold, so devoid of emotions -"Arrest these Ryoka immediately" -she stated finally, coldly glaring at them.

The couldn't allow themselves get arrested before figuring out what was going on. They didn't know if this was a new enemy's doing and even if it wasn't and for some unimaginable reason things were indeed just a bizarre misunderstanding they had no idea what the protocol for prisoners was.

In the eyes of the Shinigami, it was impossible for so many intruders to break that far into the Seireitei with nobody noticing. And furthermore, it didn't seem possible for people with such little reiatsu to have the ability -no matter how extraordinary means they might have- to do so.

"Minna, henshi-" -Ami interrupted Usagi from finishing her very usual henshin phrase. "We can't... what she just said confirms my suspicions... we cannot transform because there is nothing for us to transform into..."

If one were to be quiet enough, it is quite possible one could have heard a few jaws drop the instant those words escaped Ami's mouth.

"... she just said we are in what she called 'Seireitei' which means we are in some sort of 'court of souls' and we could only be here if we were indeed souls. I had thought my readings were off, but now that she said it, it makes perfect sense. Everything here is made out of reishi, which confirms we are not in the world of the living anymore... though I'm not yet sure if this means we have died or not..." -Her eyes and fingers still focusing all their attention to the readings of her computer.

Whilst Ami's explanation was taking place, a few shinigami (a few of the weakest) attempted to arrest the group of intruders, they couldn't care less about whatever the ryoka were discussing and just wanted to get them to the prison and go back to their normal activities. However, thanks to their abilities, it was no problem for Haruka, Michiru, Setsuna and Hotaru to neutralize them almost effortlessly. The outer senshi noticed something different in them while confronting the shinigami, it seemed they were stronger and more agile, which stroke them as unusual but they thought it might just be the fact that they hadn't fought with anyone -besides each other during training- for a very long time.

Just as before there was no time to digest the information, as the weaker shinigami hit the ground after being knocked out by the senshi, some of the higher rank ones reached for their katana and attempted to harm the girls.

The fact that a group that was clearly stronger and that outnumbered the enemy would actually aim a sword at someone who was physically not as powerful and unarmed seemed incredibly unfair to Usagi. She knew there was nothing they could do before Ami managed to get more data and come up with a plan of action but still, her heart overpowered her doubts and invoked the energy of the _Maboroshi no_ Ginzuishou. Instantly, a bright white light surrounded them and caused what could be seen as a shiny and powerful rush of wind.

All the shinigami could manage to make up in their minds was a collective _'What the...'_ while displaying a revealing look of confusion to the rather flashy demonstration of energy. Once the air cleared, they were taken aback by what they witnessed. Not only had the clothing of the figures in front of them changed but also, their reiatsu had increased dramatically -although strangely enough they couldn't say how many times it had multiplied-. Quickly, the shinigami acquired their instinctive battle positions and awaited the enemy's response.

The senshi could not really grasp what was going on, they couldn't exactly comprehend why they had suddenly turned into their Princess selves, but what they all thought almost at once was the fact that it was going to be utterly unpleasant to have to actually fight in a long gown as they were attired at the moment.

"I think I may have something..." -Ami, now as Princess Mercury stated quite confidently. "But I'm afraid it's going to take some time. I need you guys to listen carefully..."

Usagi knew it wouldn't take much for their mysteriously clothed opponents to attack... and it seemed like if they were to do so while Mercury explained the best course of action it would mean a certain loss -to say the least. She, who now wore her queen gown, hastily gazed at Mamoru (who was also impersonating his royal self) and with just the expression in her eyes managed to come to an agreement with him. He nodded in approval of her intentions as they both created a barer that isolated them form the enemy to at least buy some time, hopefully until the senshi figured out what to do in order to be able to fight.

They didn't really have to do anything other than silently call upon their power while firmly holding their respective staffs. Their power formed a translucent wall of energy that possessed the strangest of glows; depending on the angle one were to look at it, it would shine either silver or gold. This translucent wall allowed the shinigami to glare at the events unveiling in the other side, but prevented them from listening.

Not even a minute went by before swords began to desperately hit the barer, attempting to tear through. Usagi and Mamoru's expression barely changed, they were so calm it was almost frightening and if there had been any time for their allies to notice, they would've thought it was rather out of character (specially for Usagi) that they reacted that way.

"...Ok, here's the issue... essentially we are here in a soul form, hence we cannot transform because we already are everything there is for us to be. This means our human souls, our former Princess existences and our senshi selves have melted into the same spirit; this spirit has taken a material form made out of spirit particles. I estimate we would need several days to adjust to this er... form; which is why our energy is prone to fluctuations..." -Her fingers ran through the computer's keypad at an incredible speed, retrieving as much data as possible with every hit of her fingertips on the keys. She had chosen to analyze the woman that had spoken to them earlier; her image was right in the middle of the screen as little arrows and signals emerged around her, displaying the device's findings. The computer managed to circle the area where this female's katana was, and revealed it to be the major source of her power. "...Anyway, there's not enough time to explain anything further... but you see those people? They too are made of spirit particles, in fact, everything here is made from such material. That includes their katana. However, according to my readings their swords are not just a weapon, they are spirits themselves. My guess is that those spirits aid them fight in a similar way our senshi guardians give us strength and abilities to engage in confrontation..."

"...so we have power, but... we still have no way of beating them in our current position... We are unarmed, and now we can't even draw out our power... also, there's the fact that even if we had swords, well... most of us do not know how to use one!" -Venus burst out, she was desperate and quite confused, not to mention the fact that she was sure it wouldn't take the enemies long enough for them to understand the situation completely before surpassing the barer.

"... I know," -Mercury continued- "but we have to make ourselves adjust to the current circumstances. We need to focus our energy and draw out the fighting power of our guardians into the shape of a weapon. If we try I'm sure we'll make it, plus, once the power is concentrated in one single source it will be easier to use the attacks we are used to by using that physical object as a catalyst..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out much longer" -Usagi turned to them and stated such facts with an elegance that had rarely been seen on her (as Usagi, anyway), although if this form of hers was indeed all of her known forms it strangely made sense she would behave that way. She was panting slightly, but she didn't let that interfere with her words.

"Minna" -Venus looked at her comrades, implying to do as Mercury had instructed a few seconds earlier. They all nodded in agreement, determined to do as necessary to get themselves out of that mess. "Princess... when we have obtained the weapons, please shut down the barer so we are able to have an edge on the battle". She still addressed Usagi now appearing as Neo Queen Serenity 'Princess' because that's what she was to them, what she'll always be no matter her title: their beloved Moon Princess. On top of that, that certainly wasn't the time to be worrying over which formal title to use when addressing the person they'd all give the world for.

The Queen smiled at her in agreement as she watched her beloved friends give all of themselves to their objectives and attempt to gain enough power to be able to engage in a fair fight.

All eight Princesses stood in a row and extended their arms forward, with their palms facing up while reaching every corner within themselves for the power they needed with such urgency.

In the blink of an eye, a bright sphere of energy emerged before each of them and quickly transformed into their respective weapons.

Venus had invoked her legendary Seihan blade, though instead of being made of stone, it had returned to its original state. The blade looked astonishingly polished, sheering in a silvery shade. The hilt was golden and it had the figure of two crescent moons facing opposite to each other (one towards the blade and one towards the end of the hilt) that were separated by a quillon with rounded edges. The top crescent moon was decorated at its base with several precious stones.

Mercury, Mars and Jupiter were next in line. They all lacked a specific weapon from either their lives as princesses or as senshi so they managed to create similar katana that resembled those of the opponents. The hilts of their katana were light blue, bright red and dark green respectively. Mars had thought that maybe her powers would take the form of a bow, however, she wasn't disappointed at all with what she got. She figured she'd be on equal terms with whoever she ended up fighting.

Uranus, Neptune, Saturn and Pluto were the last in line, and it really was no surprise for them to find that the weapons that had appeared in front of them were their characteristic items. They were quite pleased, since they were already used to using them in a battle. The only difference was that they looked renewed in a way, which kind of struck them as the only pleasant surprise from the current situation. Uranus' Space Sword was a magnificent dark shade of silver with a sheer hint of blue to it. Neptune´s Deep Aqua Mirror was as elegant as ever, as were Pluto's Garnet Rod (and Orb) and Saturn's Silence Glaive.

Once they all acknowledged their weapons, they looked back at Serenity indicating that it was the time to take the barer down and let the show begin.

"Hadō number 63, Sōren Sōkat-..."- Momo Hinamori had attempted to lounge an attack. She was a little surprised nobody else had managed to break or even damage the energetic wall that separated them from the mysterious intruders using Kidō, so she gave it a try herself. She was after all one of the best at it. Unfortunately, her words were cut midway; the wall was eliminated from the other side, from the intruders themselves.

**A/N**: _Thanx for reading so far! That's the end of chapter one. I really really enjoyed writing it, so I hope you enjoy reading it! Reviews are much appreciated! XD_

_**a few words used in this chapter:**_

minna: jap. for "everyone" -Usagi uses it constantly to indicate it's time to transform

henshin: japanese for "transformation"

reishi: spiritual particles

_Maboroshi no_ Ginzuishou: japanese (original) name of the "silver crystal"

**Disclaimer: Saldy...I do not own Sailor Moon, nor Bleach *sigh... * The rights to all characters, names, places, items and weapons belong to _Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, Toei Animation, Tite Kubo, Shueisha and Dentsu._


	3. Chapter 2 Points of View

Chapter 2

--Points of view--

Now they were in trouble, about to engage in a battle with a numerous group of people that had invaded Soul Society. It was impossible to have predicted this would ever happen in the Seireitei, nothing of such nature had ever occurred and so, no one would've ever even thought of such a thing being possible.

It had just been a normal day, peace had returned for a while now and everyone was adopting back their usual routines. The Shinigami Women's Association had had it's first meeting of the month and Nanao had led it since Yachiru had accompanied Kenpachi to take care of a few hollows somewhere in the depths of the woods. He was really craving some action and all the remaining captains had just let him take care of the problem; they very much preferred it when Kenpachi fought elsewhere instead of making a mess in whatever part of the Seireitei he decided to engage in a fight -"training"-, even if it was within his own Division.

This very particular morning had been rather uneventful except for the fact that Kuchiki Taichō had attended to the Women's Association meeting taking Rukia's place. He felt all the activities that demanded his o his sister's presence should be attended to in order to attain to the very strict sense of duty he inflicted on himself (and any other member of the Kuchiki family) and of course, to show the commitment of his family towards the Seireitei. Fulfilling one's duties was what nobility was all about.

It's not like he enjoyed attending the meetings and he knew the other members weren't all that happy about him going either but he just felt he had to. Asides from Rukia and Yachiru, Soifon and Kiyone had also missed the meeting. Soifon was away since she and Yoruichi had decided to bond a little over and exhausting training session that had been going on for a couple of days, and Kiyone had some business to attend within the 13th Division along with Sentarō. Rukia was away with Renji, also training; after the battles they'd gone through she had really, _really_ become determined to reach bankai no matter what and since Renji had already obtained it then who better than him to train her, right?

When the SWA meeting was finally over, everyone was out and about to their usual businesses (or so they intended to). The meeting had taken place at the Kuchiki Manor, as it usually did and Nanao had planned on staying behind after everyone left in order to tidy up the place a little. Strangely enough, she was persuaded not to by Kuchiki Taichō, he'd instructed her to go on and leave, that he'd have one of the servants clean up and that such tasks weren't proper of a Fukutaichō. She had felt mildly embarrassed by his remarks and agreed to it with no further arguments. She'd left the Manor shortly after everyone else and had no problem catching up with them; not only had she caught up but actually she walked right passed them since she was still feeling a little humiliated for the brief sermon she'd got from Kuchiki Taichō.

She'd walked passed Rangiku, who'd run into Momo and was now busy chitchatting with her. Nanao hadn't really bothered to notice what the two were discussing but she was sure it seemed like casual and non-important conversation. She had also spotted Isane politely natter with Unohana Taichō and passed by Nemu's side as she walked slowly with that usual melancholic air of hers.

Nanao knew she was getting upset for nothing, that she should not feel bad or humiliated in any way and though as hard and cold Kuchiki Taichō's words sounded they weren't meant to disturb her. He was just being Kuchiki Byakuya and there was nothing anybody could do about it. Now she was getting mad about letting this affect her in the first place, how could she have let such insignificant words get the best of her? She needed a few minutes to calm herself down before meeting her own captain and completely overreact to whatever inappropriate comment he launched her way. She decided she would stop for five minutes in a nearby park and _breathe_ slowly while counting up to a thousand as her rational side got back in control of her mind. The park wasn't at all far, just a turn to the left down the corner and two blocks down; everyone would walk passed it to get to their respective quarters and she'd just pretend to need to straighten her arm band to stay behind.

Just as she turned the corner -or better said they turned the corner- she was stunned to see what was in front of her eyes: people, strange people... a lot of people; neither of them Shinigami and they had the strangest reiatsu, although it was pretty weak it wasn't evil or hollow-like. They weren't regular humans either and didn't fit as Quincy or Vizards. Just who the hell were they? Her eyes wondered around counting them. '_Twelve? Twelve of them got in here? What the hell...??_' -She thought to herself as she attempted to figure out whether she was hallucinating or these figures were actually there. She didn't have to wait long to see the others react pretty much the same way she was. They stopped in their tracks for a moment and then proceeded to surround the intruders.

Unohana didn't waste a second, she was a captain for a reason. She instructed Isane to alert as many as she could and return to the site once she'd done so. In no time several other Shinigami arrived on the scene.

Nanao was one step closer to them than the others, so she figured she could go ahead and order they be taken to prison. It wouldn't be worthwhile to fight them, they had already lost the battle in her mind.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" -She brought herself to ask even though she was in the presence of Unohana Taichō and probably should have let her take control of the situation. She wasn't really thinking about that.

One of the figures answered. It was a high pitched but still somehow soft and lovely voice that came from a blonde petite woman who was wearing a fancy white fringe dress that really gave the appearance to be a party dress. Actually they all seemed as if they'd been dragged out of a formal event. There were indeed twelve figures, nine females, a male and two felines.

'_Great, they even brought their pets to the party, huh?... well, there is also the possibility that the cats have the same ability as Yoruichi-san... -No, that's not possible... Yoruichi-san is the only one known to be able to shape shift from cat to human...' -_She found herself lost in thought.

"Please, wait. We do not know how or why we are here... if we could just discuss this I'm sure we could sort out this misunderstanding." -These were the words this blonde woman with a high hair do and a few white roses making her look that much more beautiful was able to formulate. She was also wearing a tiara, a silver tiara with a heart in the middle.

"You don't know? What do you take me for? A fool? How is it that you got this far into the Seireitei and not know about it? And even more impressively, how can twelve of you be here and not know why?-I'm sorry but I'm afraid that wasn't a good enough answer" -She found her own voice to be extremely cold, much colder and emotionless than usual.

-"Arrest these Ryoka immediately" -she stated finally, coldly glaring at them. '_Talk... they want to talk? We shouldn't be careless with this people... we shouldn't trust them just because they don't appear to be __threatening. If they want to talk, we'll talk once their in jail... in a controlled environment to at least figure out how in they world they got in here..._"

Kōkichirō Takezoe, 7th seat of the 10th Division; Mihane Shirogane, 9th seat of the 6th Division; Makizō Aramaki, 3rd seat of the 11th Division and Toshimori Umesada, 20th seat of the 9th Division took it upon themselves to fulfill the orders that the 8th Division's Fukutaichō had just given. They were the only ones who could; all the others present were members of the 4th Division -no way would they ever arrest someone, they simply couldn't-, or occupied either the first or second positions in their Divisions... so obviously they weren't about to stain their hands with the arrest of some weak intruders.

These four figured it'd be a piece of cake and that perhaps the only difficult one would be the man... but boy were they wrong. The moment they stepped froward, four of the women knocked them down almost effortlessly. These four women could not have been more different from the other physically speaking, but their fighting styles were quite similar. One could tell they trained with each other regularly.

That was it, that was what made both sides realize this was serious, that they'd have to fight and figure out everything else afterwards.

Suddenly, the Shinigami were stunned. A bright white light surrounded the intruders and caused what appeared to be a shiny and powerful rush of wind. Once it was over they were in complete disbelief. Their reiatsu had multiplied significantly, and their clothing had changed dramatically. The man was now wearing a gray suit with a blueish hint to it and a white formal shirt; he was also holding a staff. The blonde woman who'd spoken to Nanao was now wearing a long, flowy, strapless white dress with golden accents in the top and two lines of pearls just under the breast line; she was still wearing a tiara though now it was a different one, a golden tiara. Strangely enough, her hair was now lighter in color, longer and it was styled differently, pulled into two buns that let one long pigtail fall from each. As the male, she too held a staff. The rest of the women all wore long strap dresses in different colors. Colors so different the Shinigami were surprised to see them, as if they were watching a rainbow; they were (from the one closer to the woman in white to the one furthest) yellow, light blue, red, dark green, dark aqua, deep blue, black and purple. The last two also wore long gloves of the same color as their dress that ended just one quarter of their arms below the shoulder. As if that wasn't strange enough, the two felines had transformed into humans, one male and one female. The male had long white hair that resembled that of Ukitake Taichō and was dressed completely in white. The female, was wearing a yellow and black strap dress and now had long wavy black hair. Asides from these two previously feline and now human beings, there were two more; two girls that apparently had appeared from nowhere. The girls looked quite young, like teenagers, and had long, straight black hair that appeared to be loosely pinned just above their ears. The looked like twins, the only difference was the color of their gowns, one red and the other one purple; they wore turtleneck dresses were short and lose and exposed their shoulders.

Just when they tried to absorb the images, something else occurred. The two who held a staff created a powerful energetic barer that had a silver glow to it when looked from one angle and a gold one when observed from the opposite one.

The reiatsu from the intruders and the energy from the barer was now perceived all over the Seireitei. Even Renji and Rukia had felt it and decided to go back and see what was going on. They arrived just in time to see Hanatarō taking care of their fallen comrades. Those four weren't badly injured, just a few bumps and bruises here and there that were gone in an instant. They also saw Nanao, who was standing closer to the barer than anyone else, Unohana Taichō was also there, as were Isane, Nemu, Rangiku, Tōshirō, Momo, Kira and Hisagi. Rukia's eyes widened when she saw her brother standing by and observing the events that were unveiling in front of them. If he was still there it meant that he was either interested or intrigued, and if he was then it meant this really was an unusual situation since he really wasn't the type to enjoy flashy demonstrations as the ones taking place. Byakuya was calm and merely observing, everyone else looked either slightly uneasy or shocked; some even worried but Kuchiki Byakuya lacked any sing of emotion, as he always did.

Rukia and Renji arrived just in time to witness the even more ridiculously strange events yet.

The group behind the barer looked like they were coming up with a plan, it was obvious that the barer was just a means to buy time while discerning the best course of action.

Isane was the first one to come forth and take a swing at the energetic wall and soon enough other blades followed, including Hisagi's, Nanao's and Kira's.

Suddenly, the intruders assumed formation, the women with the colorful long dresses resumed their positions besides the woman dressed in white. The now human and formerly feline figures stood behind the man in the gray suit and the woman in the long white dress, and the twin girls took their places behind the woman in red. The women extended their arms forward, with their palms facing up and in the blink of an eye, a bright sphere of energy emerged before each of them and quickly transformed into weapons.

The now concerned Shinigami observed the weapons carefully and noticed two of them had invoked swords, three had actually created katana that very much resembled their Zanpakutō, and the other weapons threw them off. One was a glaive, held by the woman ho appeared to be the youngest; another was some sort of rod that looked like an enormous key and had a heart shaped orb on top. The strangest nonetheless was the one held by the woman with wavy blue hair and dark aqua dress: a mirror.

Though not one of the Shinigami had released their Zanpakutō in their attempts to destroy the barer, it suddenly occurred to Momo Hinamori to use Kidō and see how it worked out. She immediately thought of the 63rd Hadō, and as she was able to perform it without its respective incantation, thus saving time, she gave it a shot.

"Hadō number 63, Sōren Sōkat-..." -Momo's words were severed when the barer broke from where it had originated.

**

* * *

A/N**: _Thanx for reading again! I hope you enjoyed reading it!...If you're wondering why I wrote the same part of the story as I did in ch.1 here's the answer: I thought I should portray all the characters and what they were feeling and living the very moment their paths collided. Also, I wanted you to know who are going to be the major characters in the story; I thought it would provide a more meaningful __experience to the readers and it'd let them understand my vision of this story a little bit more. I hope I succeeded!_

_Additional note: I really didn't want Kenpachi to be around for this... he could have killed them all with little effort and well... my story would've been in a whole lot of trouble if I had let that happen XD_

**Disclaimer: Saldy...I still do not own Sailor Moon, nor Bleach *sigh... * The rights to all characters, names, places, items and weapons belong to _Takeuchi Naoko, Kodansha, Toei Animation, Tite Kubo, Shueisha and Dentsu._


	4. Chapter 3 Collision

Chapter 3

- Collision -

A blue sparkle faded in Momo Hinamori's hand. She hadn't been able to finish the Hadō she had hoped to use against the barer that had stood before her seconds ago.

'_It's gone...?'_ -Thought Momo as she came to realize the barer had fallen not because of the strength of her Hadō, but because those behind it had purposefully stopped creating it.

For a moment, everything went silent until Mamoru, now as Endymion spoke.

"Are you certain there is no other way out of this?" -He asked the confused looking Shinigami, hoping they would opt for a discussion before taking extreme measures like jail.

Not a soul made a sound nor moved an inch whilst mentally weighing their options.

In the midst of silence, steps were heard coming afar from the crowd.

"It must be true you are unaware of where you are, because if you were you would know how pointless it is for you to ask such questions." -Kuchiki Byakuya had left his position as an observant and had moved right into the action. He had grown tired of the flashiness and disorganization of the whole situation and decided to put an end to it at once.

The lower ranked Shinigami hastily moved elsewhere to give Kuchiki Taichō enough room to move freely and walk towards the intruders.

"Judging by your behavior, I assume you won't willingly surrender" -He added releasing his reiatsu and positioning himself in front of Mamoru. Everyone sensed the change in the atmosphere once such an impressive amount of energy was released, but surprisingly neither of the intruders became uneasy or visibly affected by it. He unsheathed his Zanpakutō before finally stating "So we'll have to finish this now"

"Very well then" -Stated Mamoru in response unsheathing his own sword, knowing it made no sense to prolong the inevitable.

Byakuya took the first swing, hitting Mamoru's sword up front and causing him to slide on his feet a considerable distance.

"Prince!" -Yelled Artemis, unable to stop himself from showing his concern for him.

"Prince?" -Inquired Byakuya, intrigued by the statement. "Is that correct?" -He added, letting his noble instincts take over.

"Does it make any difference?" -Responded Mamoru, unwilling to disclose their identities too early.

"Well, if you are indeed their prince and I defeat you, that would mean they all fall. Unless you'd prefer your court to fight instead of fighting yourself"

"I didn't take you for the diplomatic type"

They were both almost equally calm, which surprised both sides. All who thought only Kuchiki Byakuya could be devoid of emotion during a confrontation now came to see they were wrong.

"I was merely stating your options. Either you fight, or they fight."

"To answer you question, yes, I am their Prince. But we'll take neither of your options" -Mamoru responded defiantly yet secure and respectful.

"There isn't any other way for a noble and his court to behave in a situation like this"

"You're mistaken"

The eyes of the crowd widened instantly. '_He's screwed. Nobody tells Kuchiki __Taichō that he's wrong_' -Renji thought as he immediately recognized the twitch in Byakuya's reiatsu.

"Is that so?" -The still cold voice asked arrogantly as if there were absolutely no other option.

"Indeed. We always fight together"

With his answer, the senshi assumed their respective fighting positions.

"So you pretend I fight you all?"

"I never said we fought the same target. We fight side by side, one on one"

Byakuya didn't answer, but instead he referred his attention to the ones on his side.

"Second seats, take your pick. Renji, Rukia you as well."

"Hai, Taichō" -Responded Renji, being pulled from his thoughts by his words.

"Nii-sama..." -She muttered a little confused before moving closer to the females.

Now all the senshi had an opponent standing in front of them, waiting for the fight to begin. Momo Hinamori stood before Rei, Nanao moved slightly to cover Minako, Nemu stepped forward to confront Makoto, Rangiku used shunpo to position herself before Ami, Renji and Rukia ran to meet Michiru and Haruka respectively, Isane walked towards Setsuna and Hisagi came last to find Hotaru as his match.

Just as Kira headed towards Usagi, Unohana Taichō stepped in-between them.

"I will handle her" -She stated stepping even closer to her.

"Unohana Taichō..." -A confused Kira responded.

"Everything seems to indicate she is his Princess. I will take care of this"

A wavy "Hai" and a subtle bow were Kira's reaction, as well as moving away from the confrontation.

"Think of this as the last sign of diplomacy you'll see from us. We will fight your way, but make no mistake, you will still lose."

"We appreciate it, shall we finish this?"

And without a spoken reply, Byakuya swung at Mamoru, encouraging everyone else to do the same.

Before moving away a little to keep up with Byakuya, Mamoru took just one second to glance over at Usagi and both give and receive reassurance.

Blades swung everywhere, but they were so close together and in a public area that made it very difficult for everyone to be at their best.

They were so close they kept on stepping on each others fights.

"Spread if you must" -Was the last instruction spoken by Unohana before almost all disappeared into the woods or some other location away from the habitable part of the Seireitei.

**A/N**: _Sorry for making it so short, but i'll get into more details in further chapters! Still I hope you enjoy it :)_

_**Same disclaimer applies... _


	5. Chapter 4 Defiance pt I First Dance

**Chapter 4**

- Defiance -

_Part I. First Dance_

Michiru arrived a couple of seconds after Haruka in a lightly wooded area of the Seireitei, surprised for having been left behind. They usually arrived at the exact same moment whenever running together.

"I don't remember you being that fast" -She said complementing her partner and showing the slightest trace of agitation, product of having pushed herself further than usual.

"I'm not, not under normal circumstances anyway. We've never fought in this form before, perhaps-" -She was interrupted by Renji and Rukia's arrival. They too seemed surprised for their speed.

"You're pretty good at Shunpo, guess this is gonna to be interesting" -Stated Renji upon arrival, before positioning himself in front of the blue-haired woman, as Rukia did the same before Haruka.

"You're clearly not Shinigami, and you claim to have no relation with Soul Society...so how is it that you're able to use Shunpo like that?" -Rukia was intrigued by her opponents and their undisclosed abilities.

"You seem too curious for someone who refuses to talk things through before drawing themselves into combat. Since you didn't care for talking before, you should refrain from it now." -Cold and disdainful were Michiru's statements, which ignited Renji's urge to settle things as soon as possible.

"Let's finish this" -Renji unsheathed Zabimaru, more than willing to engage in battle and with the words "Howl, Zabimaru", Renji's Zanpakutō awoke into it's Shikai form and swung in the air boldly.

"Ara, ara, that's quite a big katana... is it making up for length you lack elsewhere?"

An elegant insult resulted in Renji losing his cool, perhaps not so much for the insult itself but for the other Shinigami that was present when it was launched his way. His pride sought for vengeance by attacking directly at Michiru, who to his surprise used Shunpo again to go up to the branch of a tree to be able to attack herself.

"Deep Submerge"

Michiru's attack was her weakest, using only concentrated energy to harm her rival, and of course was easily avoided by Renji.

"Ha! Here I was thinking that mirror of yours was actually your weapon, but it seems to me it's merely decorative. You didn't even use it to attack me."

"World Shaking" - Without warning Haruka took advantage of the fact that Rukia looked away to observe Renji's fight. Even though Rukia saw it coming, she never expected the attacks to be as fast as they were and therefore failed to miss it. As her partner's attack, World Shaking hit Rukia with a planet-shaped condensation of energy, smashing her into the closest tree.

"Rukia!" -Renji shouted out to Rukia, implicitly inquiring for her well-being.

"Submarine Reflection" -This time Michiru didn't fail, and while Renji was distracted, an attack far superior than her previous one hit him on his side. This time the energy was strong and powerful as a wave crashing into a cliff.

As Renji felt the attack, he managed to move Zabimaru to block it and was just dragged a few feet away by it's power.

"Tch... taking advantage of the opponent's distraction. Clever... but low" -Although he wasn't hurt, he was tired from having had to stop the attack upfront and unexpectedly.

"This time I used the mirror, it's not my fault you weren't looking" -Again, sounding graceful and calm she got the last word on that particular argument.

Rukia had recovered relatively fast after Haruka's attack and unsheathed Sode no Shirayuki, sill leaning on the tree on which she'd been slammed into.

"Mae, Sode no Shirayuki" -Rukia released her Zanpakutō, causing the blade, hilt and guard to turn white and a slight but dense fog to surround her.

"Some no mai, Tsukishiro" -The indication for the first attack resulting in the ground beneath them to gradually freeze.

Haruka suspected that the power of the attack could freeze more than just the ground and so, in order to prevent being caught off guard she appeared besides Renji, knowing Rukia would never attack that close to him.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?" -Renji objected at his personal space being invaded in such a way, also feeling his fighting abilities would be compromised by having two enemies to worry about at the same time.

"Hey, you're stepping into my fight" -Michiru playfully protested against Haruka's intrusion.

"Sorry" -Was the answer, playful as well. She used Shunpo again to prevent Rukia from pinpointing her location and consequently from attacking her directly.

"Renji, move out of the way!" -Rukia knew she couldn't reach her target without hurting Renji in the process so she asked his as nicely as she could to give her some room.

"Oi, what are you yelling at me for? She's the one who overstepped tch-" -Renji was interrupted by Haruka's Space Sword.

"Tch... dammit it's not me who you're supposed to be fighting... what the hell are you doing?" -He barely managed to move Zabimaru fast enough to stop her from slashing his face in two.

"You two seem to have a good relationship, and know how to fight together... as do we. Besides don't you think it'd be more fun if we make this two on two?" -Michiru added the latter part rather mischievously.

"Fine, this space is too small for two separate fights anyway"

They repositioned so that each pair could face the other, as a Jigokuchō headed towards them.

* * *

A/N: Same disclaimer applies ^.^

Hope you liked, it :D i know i loved writing it

There will be 8 parts of ch. 4, each about a fight scene, here's a bit of a preview:

II. Rei vs. Momo

III. Rangiku vs. Ami

IV. Makoto vs. Nemu

V. Nanao vs. Minako

VI. Setsuna vs. Isane

VII. Hisagi vs. Hotaru

& finally VIII. Usagi vs. Unohana/ Byakuya vs. Mamoru

_Some words from this chapter:_

Jigokuchō- Hell butterfly

Shunpo- Flash steps


	6. Chapter 4 Defiance pt II Ignition

**Chapter 4**

- Defiance -

_Part II. Ignition_

Rei turned her head slightly, looking to make eye contact with her guardians before separating from the multitude just to have enough room for battle.

'_Phobos, Deimos, stay with Luna and Artemis... Protect the Princess no matter what._' -At that point she knew she could handle a fight one on one, and if she couldn't, she would still manage it somehow, but what she couldn't bear would be for something to happen to Usagi.

_'As you wish, Princess'_ -Was the simultaneous and silent response that mentally answered her telepathic command. The guardian's answer showed traces of doubt, clearly fearful of the situation, but was filled with understanding of the priority their Princess was giving to the person who mattered the most to her.

She felt ambushed, insulted by the lack of trust shown by the people who now confronted them... but could she really blame them? Could she be sure she wouldn't do the same thing if the situation were reversed? She might feel just as distrustful, especially after having faced so many dreadful enemies... but no, Usagi would never let it get to battle without allowing the intruders say something to defend themselves.

She was trying so hard, pushing herself and her senses to figure out whether or not their opponents were evil, and her facial expression showed just how uneasy she felt.

- '_Her expression is so hard to read..._' -Momo was uneasy as well, not only because the situation had evolved so rapidly it seemed almost out of control but because she didn't know what to make of the intruders. They didn't seem to be enemies, and although their reiatsu was unlike anything she'd ever felt, it showed no signs of being evil; it didn't feel right to fight with someone whose intentions were unclear... but still her mind kept telling her she should know better than to trust someone based only on assumptions.

As they reached a near-by leveled area with far more space to move, both women looked at each other, standing in a defensive position trying hard to analyze the opponent and clearly reluctant of what was sure to follow. Neither was sure of anything nor comfortable with fighting for no clear reason, but it still had to happen and there was nothing either could do about it at the moment.

Rei decided to take a chance, having thought of a way to figure out for sure if the mysterious people in black had malicious intentions or not. - "Rin, Pyō, Tō, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen. Akuryō Taisan!" -She released a scroll from in between her index and middle fingers and threw it at the 5th Division's Fukutaichō.

The scroll made contact with Hinamori's Zanpakutō and even though nothing happened, she knew she had to respond in someway.

She backed away a little as the scroll fell to the floor, and although part of her didn't want to attack, she resorted to Kidō. Extending her right arm and stretching her palm, she spoke the words that so many times before had been pronounced by her lips: "Hadō no 73: Sōren Sōkatsui"

As the blast of blue energy emerged Rei reacted to it by releasing an attack herself - "Burning Mandala"- _'A spell?'_ It seemed unusual for her that someone armed used a spell instead of their katana to attack. Something didn't make sense to her, and it was bothering her more than she felt comfortable with.

Eventually both fires collided creating a gigantic multicolored blast that was seen form all other locations where fights were taking place.

"You used a spell" - Rei began, -"If you can use spells then you must have known the one I used wasn't meant as an attack"

"It was meant to eliminate evil spirits, I know" -Momo added, avoiding a sigh and simply driving her look to the ground.

"I know. But... it's still my duty to get you to surrender." -She spoke of her duties as a Shinigami with the determination of a soldier, but unintentionally let her breath to give away the fact that although she took her responsibilities seriously, it didn't mean it made her happy to carry them out.

A sigh escaped Rei's lips and a certain degree of admiration was demonstrated by her response.

"I see. Well, wasn't this a good day to run into someone with solid ethics?" -The latter remark was muttered quietly -as if she needed to hear it out loud but meant it only for her own ears- though Momo heard her anyways.

"Since your duty is to get me to surrender, mine gets a little more complicated. My responsibility right now is to convince you otherwise, to make sure you comprehend we are not here as invaders, that we have no harmful intentions... there has to be a diplomatic way around this." -Rei continued, showing sincerity and hopeful to get her opponent to change her mind.

"I already know that. I could tell by the way you've behaved so far, but as sorry as I am to say it, that doesn't change a thing." -Momo replied, displaying understanding but knowing that until Kuchiki Taichō or Unohana Taichō gave an order to abort, she couldn't take it into her own hands -although she was the representative of her Division and practically had had all the responsibilities of a captain ever since Aizen's betrayal, she hadn't been cleared to make decisions as one.

"Then I suppose this can't be helped" - A deep breath followed Rei's statement as she decided to use her most powerful technique, knowing it'd be useless to continue a pointless conversation.

"Unfortunately..." - Momo as well was prepared to give all she had, starting by unsheathing Tobiume.

"Hajike, Tobiume" - Hinamori's Zanpakutō acquired it's true form, and as Tobiume's blade fire up, she witnessed Rei's katana disappear and turn into a trail of fire that crawled up her arm, becoming a bow and arrow.

"Mars Flame Sniper" was the call that Momo heard as she speechlessly observed the incandescent beauty of the flames.

Momo prepared herself and as she was ready to call upon her own flames, a Jigokuchō set down on Tobiume's blade.

_'A Jigokuchō?'_ -Momo's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected arrival.

_'A... butterfly?' -_Surprise too became evident in Rei's expression.

* * *

A/N: I still do not own any of the characters or canonic material :P so the previous disclaimer remains the same ^.^

Sorry it took me forever! but I hope it pays off, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

_(I don't believe I've used any new words, but just in case, a Jigokuchō is a Hell Butterfly)_


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